Such a sad loss for cult movie fans. Something Weird Video founder Mike Vraney has died from lung cancer. I remember discovering him and SWV through the TV show Reel Wild Cinema. He saved a lot of forgotten stuff.. RIP

I thought the name was familiar. Yes, Mike Vraney was a giant in terms of saving and archiving obscure movies that may well have been lost without his work. He will be missed.

Logged

"The basic plot is that Donna Speir and Hope Marie Carlton, the two undercover DEA agent Playboy Playmates from the last movie, are still running around in jungle shorts, cowboy boots and spaghetti strap T-shirts, firing their machine guns at drug smugglers, Filipino communist guerrillas, and corrupt federal agents while their two friends, Lisa London and Miss May 1984 Patty Duffek, lounge around the pool a lot and talk on speaker phones that look like fax machines."-Joe Bob on SAVAGE BEACH

"The basic plot is that Donna Speir and Hope Marie Carlton, the two undercover DEA agent Playboy Playmates from the last movie, are still running around in jungle shorts, cowboy boots and spaghetti strap T-shirts, firing their machine guns at drug smugglers, Filipino communist guerrillas, and corrupt federal agents while their two friends, Lisa London and Miss May 1984 Patty Duffek, lounge around the pool a lot and talk on speaker phones that look like fax machines."-Joe Bob on SAVAGE BEACH

I thought SW released this but for some reason I didn't find it on their site. I definitely would have added it to my own list if I had.

Logged

"The basic plot is that Donna Speir and Hope Marie Carlton, the two undercover DEA agent Playboy Playmates from the last movie, are still running around in jungle shorts, cowboy boots and spaghetti strap T-shirts, firing their machine guns at drug smugglers, Filipino communist guerrillas, and corrupt federal agents while their two friends, Lisa London and Miss May 1984 Patty Duffek, lounge around the pool a lot and talk on speaker phones that look like fax machines."-Joe Bob on SAVAGE BEACH

I first found out about Mike and SWV in the early 90's in college. The roomate and I had rented a copy of some cheap Kung-Fu movie with a giant clamshell case from the local mom and pop video store. Clearly someone had either dubbed over it, or just mixed up VHS tapes because instead of the Kung Fu movie we were treated to one of the strangest movies any of us had ever seen, 1967's "Mr. Maris Girls". When we went back to the video store to return the movie we were like, WTF was this??? The dude behind the counter told us about SWV and said it was a mistake. Well, I was hooked. I mailed in a request for a catalog and put in my first order. Interestingly enough, when I phoned my order in, It was Mikes wife, Lisa who answered the phone. What an awesome lady, she sat on the phone for over an hour explaining the sexploitation genre and her husbands passion for strange cinema. Since then, I've added a large collection of SWV titles. And yes, the catalog was so much fun to read. Here is a brief explanation of Mikes death I found on this site:

In MemoriumMIKE VRANEYFounder of Something WeirdDecember 29, 1957 to January 2, 2014

We regret to tell you that Something Weird’s founder, Mike Vraney, passed away on January 2, 2014 after a long heroic battle with lung cancer. He was 56 years old, way too young to leave this planet. There was still so much Mike wanted to do in his life, so many films to be found, and adventures to be embarked upon.

This sad news may come as a shock to most of you. Mike was a very private person and didn’t want anyone, except his closest friends, family and colleagues, to know about his illness. He went through aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments for over a year, but sadly the cancer spread and cruelly took him from us.

Mike had a larger-than-life personality and a genuine enthusiasm for movies. Something Weird was his heart and soul, he was obsessive in his pursuit of tracking down the weirdest, wildest movies out there. And it wasn’t enough to find a few forgotten films, he was always in search of the movie motherload. (Making 370 two-hour volumes of Nudie Cuties loops is a good example of this. Who does that?! Mike Vraney!) Even as a child, Mike loved movies. During his teenage years, he worked at the Bel-Kirk Drive-In, and then later as a projectionist at the Green Parrot and Apple Theaters in Seattle. Then around 1990, Mike went in search of as many old, unusual, obscure, and lost low budget exploitation movies as he could, and preserved them for prosperity. Mike amassed thousands of these rare movies and had them transferred to video so that people could relive the good old days of going to the drive-in or grindhouse theater, in their very own home. We have him to thank for introducing fandom to the wonderful world of sexploitation sinema, rescuing it from the dark recesses of forgotten film vaults and defunct movie theatres.

Some of you may know that prior to Something Weird, Mike was involved in the early Seattle punk rock music scene. He was a partner in Modern Productions, the group who started Seattle’s seminal rock venue, The Showbox, in 1979. Mike then went on to manage such well-known bands as The Dead Kennedys, TSOL, and Seattle’s own The Accused. Mike always seemed to be at the forefront of whatever was happening and cool.Mike’s second greatest passion in life was collecting old comics, vintage toys, movie memorabilia, and pop cultural ephemera. He enjoyed going to the swap meet and always had a magical ability for finding great stuff. But when he wasn’t working, collecting, or telling great stories, Mike spent quality time with his beloved family. Mike adored his wife and business partner, Lisa, and two (now young adult) children, Mark and Danielle. These three were the center of his universe, and his reason for getting up each and every morning.

The folks at Something Weird fully intend to honor Mike’s incredible legacy. Mike may be gone, but his remarkable achievements will live on. One of the happiest days of Mike’s life was when legendary David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney called him “the forty-first thief,” which to him was the ultimate compliment and recognition for his work. We’d like to think that Mike’s now hanging out with his old pals Dave and Dan, reminiscing and talking shop with Dwain Esper, Kroger Babb, Barry Mahon, Joe Sarno, Doris Wishman, Bob Cresse, Dale Berry, Michael Findlay and all the other exploiteers and smut peddlers who’ve gone to the great grindhouse in the sky.

Almost as important as the feature films he presented to us was the way he packaged them - with jaw-dropping shorts, trailers, industrial films, poster art, etc. I'll never forget that short documenting 'the neutering of the reindeer by Lapland maidens' short he including with TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN.

I just heard about it the other day...thats reall awful news-Mike Vraney was a hero. I still treasure my copies of The WILD AND THE NAKED and SHE MOB. In fact,ALL my most obscure stuff came from SW. I'm sure his lovey wife will carry on the tradition.